Academic Interests

My research interests are broadly structured around the fields of late 19th and pre-war 20th century Central and Mediterranean World European history and 20th century American history. I am also interested in the history of the Arab world, particularly at points of intellectual and socio-political transfer between the Middle East and Europe.

Thematically, what unites these disparate fields is my concern with issues of motivation, group culture, and commitment; my overriding historical concern is with the reanimation of historical moments — particularly movements and cultures that were once popular but now discredited or forgotten — through the reconstruction of their total contexts. Movements that cross international and cultural borders are of particular interest.

This leads, out of necessity, to a eclectic methodological approach. I seek to incorporate elements of political, social, immigration, and cultural history into my work, and am increasingly concerned with ‘reading’ visual culture and found artifacts, as well as with the potentialities of oral history. My background in digital humanities and in business and economics leads me to incorporate quantitative methods into my research; I am excited about the potential benefits (and pitfalls) of digital history, and actively seek to incorporate digital techniques into my research, both as source and method.

Some broad areas of interest for a potential dissertation appear below (in no particular order); because I am interested mainly in obscure and/or forgotten historical moments or little-known aspects of recognized historical phenomenon, I welcome suggestions for more closely defined topics or themes:

The banner image at the top of the website is a selection from the late 18th and 19th century English watercolorist and landscape painter J.M.W. Turner's 'The St Gotthard Road between Amsteg and Wassen looking up the Reuss Valley.' The painting dates from either 1803 or 1814-15, likely produced during one of the artist's Swiss travels during those two years.